Ments



Reissued Apr. 3, 1923.

UNITED STATES p Re. 15,572 PATENT OFFICE;

GEORGE G. SCHELTER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,- ASSIGNOR, BY ASSIGN- MENTS, TO UNITED LAST COMPANY, OF AUBURN, MAINE, A CORPORATION. OF

MAINE.

LAST.

Original mi. 1,372,779, dated March 29, 1921, Serial No. 316,219, filed August 8, 1919. Application for reissue filed June 30, 1921. Serial No. 481,711.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE. G. SCHELTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lasts, of which the following is a specification.

, This invention relates to collapsible lasts for making boots and shoes and is illustrated in connection with a preferred type of hinge last. It has been found advisable to rovide lasts of this type with some sort of locking means or mechanism to hold their parts, in desired positions. When the last is in the shoe it should be held in the normal or extended position with sufficient rigidity to avoid any danger of its collapse begun. In the case of lasts heretofore suggested as practical solutlons of this problem, the disengagement and retention was accomplished by the operators fingers in which case the fingers were often injured in the collapse of the last; or else some special appliance was used in connection with the jack used in withdrawing the last. Inasmuch as 1t.1s sometimes necessary to withdraw the last at other times than the regular last pulling such a last lock requires special jacks located more or less widely over the shoe factory, the jacks being necessarily so specialized as to ren der them inconvenient or impractical for use in connection with lasts of other makes. Shoe manufacturers are unwilling to equip their factories with such special jacks, and

this has militated against the use of hinge lasts having positive locks.

It is accordingly an important object of the invention to provide. an improved collapsible last which will obviate this and other difiiculties heretofore encountered. An important feature of the invention consists in a last embodying a novel positive lock,'the locking element of which when moved out of positive locking position will 1 be automatically held out of said position lapsed.

so that accidental return thereto is avoided.

The positively locked condition can thus be definitely terminated and with the last in any convenient position in the operators hands so that no special jack is required for unlocking the last. I

Another important feature of the invention consists in provision for automatic termination of the retention of the locking member out of positive locking position. This is accomplished by. the relative movementv of the last parts in changing the length of the last,'the locking member requiring no' treatment by the operator; In the last shown, it is accomplished by the collapsing movement of the parts, but in any case it will preferably be accomplished by the time the last parts reach extended position after collapse, so that the positive lock becomes available at that time for immediate and preferably automatic operation.

It is a further important object of the present inventiontoprovide a hinge last with a positive lock arranged to be rendered impositive at.v will. The last canthus be collapsed on the ordinary jack, and removed without difliculty, at the same time affording the desired rigidity and without Tacrificing any of the advantages of known asts.

Another feature resides in. aconstruction whereby the last parts are relatively displaced. slightly fromnormal extended position when thelast isimpositively locked.

These and other features of the invention,

comprising various arrangements and combinations of parts, will be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, selected for .illustrative purposes, and Shown li drawings in which,v

Figure 1 shows the last. in extended position. v 7

.Figure 2 shows the last after the lock has been rendered impositive.

..Figure 3 shows the last lapsed. y

Figure 4 shows the last completely. colpartially col- Figure I is a cross-section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The last shown is a. collapsible last having a heel part and forep art separated by. secant faces and united by hinge mechanism. The

to be admirably adapted for the embodiment of my invention, but the invention, though shown as applied thereto, is not to be understood as limited to this specific form of last.

The out between therheel part and the .fore part is vertically directed from the sole for a short distance into the body of the ,lastas shown at 1.0; from there it slopes to the front, as shown at 12, until it reaches approximately the center of the last. At this point the heel part and .forepart separate, the ,cut going upwardly and inclining slightlyto the rear upon the heel part, as shown at 14, and forward, .as;shown at 16, upon the forepart at a somewhat greater slope than the portion 12, as far as a point about three quarters of the height of the last and from there nearly vertically, as shownat 18, to the top of the cone. The fore and heel parts are united by two links. preferably formed in duplicate with the locking mechanism between them as shown in Fig. 5, The .upper link is formed of two separate parts 20*" and 2 0 and the lower link .is similarly formed of two parts 22 and 22". These links are joined ;to the :last parts by rivets 24, 26, 28 and 30, passing through the links and seated in the last parts. All the foregoing structureis. substantially as shown in the application of John C. Schelter above referred to.

The rivet 26 acts as an abutment for the locking means. The locking member is shown as a flat steel plate 32 pivoted. at one end upon the rivet 30 between the plates 22 and 22'. It has at its other end a downwardly projecting lug 34 arranged to engage a spring 36 seated in one of the last parts (as illustrated, the forepart), and has on the upper surface of the same end a pro jection 38 arranged to cofoperate with-the pin 26. This projection 38 has two operat ing surfaces, one of which, 40, is nearly perpendicularto the radius vector 42 extending thereto from the rivet 30, and the other of which, 44, is at an acute angle with said radius vector. The portion when in engagementwith the rivet26, asshown inv Figf 1, will positively lock the last in extended position since the reactign'between the pin 26 and the locking member is substantially perp ndic ar o t e surface. 4 a slight divergence from perpendicularity bet nt e surfac 40 an l ne 42en s the locking member to wedge tightly gainst th in26 under e actio of the spring 86 ru i th xlecki g m mber i aiipved :the position shown in These links are Fig. 2, with the surface 44 in engagement with the pin 26, a collapsing pressure will cause a relative slipping motion between the pin and thesurface 44 which will permit the last to becollapsed by pressure alone.

'This movementof the member 32 may be contrived in various ways, but I have found the following described construction advantageous. ,A member 46 is pivoted, preferably upon the pin 24, and has a hole 48 conveniently located in it to receive a ball 50 and. a spring 52, The member 46 is located between members 20 and 20 and thesprin'gpressed ball frictionally holds themember 46 i it forces down the member 32 so that the surface 44 is exchanged for the surface 40 in contact with the pin 26. At the same time, the lug 56'slips down behind the projection 38, and wedges the member 32vfirmly in the position shown in Fig. 2. vAt the same time, the stress exerted by the spring 36 rotate the links 20*, 20 and 22,

22 and t e lock member slightly so as tov cause a slight relative displacement of the last par-ts, all of which is clearly shown in Fig. 2. I This displacementserves as awaruing to the operator, in case the last is in a shoe, that the last is impositively locked.

The last is now collapsible by pressure alone and can be removed, from the shoe by the simple and well-known expedient of putting the last upon an upwardly extending jackpin and manipulating the last and.

shoe in the ordinary manner. This will cause the "last to pass through the position shown in'Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4. The surface 44 and pin 26 form two abutments which begin to slide'on each other relatively gclOckWiSG, as seen in Fig. 2, and

the projection 38 is thus forced away from V the lug 56 by the pressure. and relative movement. The member 32 is preferably provided with an upstanding lug 5,8 which engages the member 46on the rear face of the lug 54 as the last moves from the Fig.

3 position to the completely collapsed .positionshown in Fig. 4. The reaction between the lugs or abutments 58 and 54 throws the member 46 upwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, so

that when the last is brought back to extended position the member 46, being frictionally held by the ball 50, will not fall back with the lug iifiengagingbehind the lug The last, therefore, when extended will always come to positively locked position. I

It is obvious that the duplicated hinge link construction is not material to the present invention but it makes the last stronger and better able to resist twisting strains of the leveling operation. 0

It is now clear that my novel last while providing a positive lock" and thereby furnishing ideal. conditions for machine 'shoemaking can be unlocked without the use ofany special tools or without requiring a special jack. The member 46 can be easily moved by the operators finger to render the last impositively locked and the last can be collapsed by pressure alone upon any ordinary jack pin. The last therefore provides the important advantages of retention of thelocking member out of positive locking position without effort or attention from the operator, and without the use of special tools, and of its automatic restoration to positive locking position as the last is extended after collapse, and also combines with them all the heretofore known advantages of a positive lock with those of an impositive lock. 7

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:- v

1 In a last, separate fore and heelparts, bonding mechanism joining said parts con structed andarranged to permit the collapse of the last, a locking member movable on one of said last parts to engage the other last part in two relations prior to any substantial collapsing movement, to hold the last rigidly extended and impositively locked, respectively, and a member independent of the locking member actuatable to change one of said relations to the other at will. v p

2. In a last, separate fore and heel parts, bonding mechanism joining said parts constructed and arranged to permit the collapse of the last, a locking member movable on one of said last parts to engage the other last part in two relations to hold the last rigidly extended and impositively locked, respectively, and a member, movable relatively to the locking member, actuatable to change one of said relations to the other at will. p

3. In a last, separate fore and heel parts, bonding mechanism joining'said parts .con structed and arranged topermit the collapse of the last, a locking member movable on one of said last parts to engage the other last partsubstantiallyperpendicularly to effeet a. positive lock or substantially acutely to hold the last impositively locked prior to collapse, and a member actuatable to move relatively to the locking member and to move it from its positively locking position to its impositively locking position.

4. In a last, separate fore and heel parts,

bonding mechamsmjoining said parts constructed and. arranged, to permit the "colof the last, an abutment a swinging member on the other last part having a surface substantially at right an-,

havinga surface substantially gles to its radius vector to the axis of swing lapse of the last, a member'movable' on one [of saidlast parts to engage'the other last part substantially perpendicularly to effect apositii e lock "or substantially acutely to hold the last inpositively' locked, and a1 separate swinging member actuata-ble to change one of said relations to the other at will. i

5. In 'a last, separate fore and heel parts, bonding mechanism joining said parts constructed and arranged to permit the collapse of the'last, an abutment on one last part, a swinging member on the other last part having two surfaces either of which-is swingable into engagement with said abutment, respectively, to hold the last positively or impositively locked against collapse, and a member 'engageable with the ment,'respectively, to hold the last positively or'impositively locked against collapse, and

a member constructed and arranged to move the swinging member to exchange the sur faces in contact with the abutment.

7. In a last, separate fore and heel parts, bonding mechanism joining said parts constructed and arrangedto permit the collapse of the last, an abutment on one last part,

and a swinging member on the other last part having a surfacesubstantially at right,

angles to its radius vector to the' axis of swing and a second surface making an acute angle with said radius Vector, said surfaces being constructed and arranged to cooperate with the abutment to hold the last positively and impositively locked prior 'toany substantial collapsing movement, respectively;

8. In a last, separate fore and heel parts, bonding mechanism joining said parts constructed and'arranged to permit the collapse on one last part,

gles to'its radius vector to the axls of swing and a second surface making an acute angle with said radius vector, and a member distinct from the swinging member constructed andarranged to move said swinging memher to move one surface out of and the other into engagement wit-h said abutment.

9. In a last, separate fore and heel parts,

bonding mechanism joining said parts constructed and arranged to permit the collapse- -of the last,, an abutment on one last part,

a swingingmember on the other last part at right an meansout of operation and so retaining it, fprior to COllilPSBgSfl-ld positivelockingmeans ofthe last, a locking-mechanism, cm-pr1sof the last, a member on; one of saidlast parts constructed andarranged tothrust and a semnd-surface makingan acute angle with said radius vector, and a member constucted andrarrang'ed to move said swinging member to moveone surface'out of and the ,other into engagement with said abutment and to lock the swingingmember in the second position. r a

10. In a last, separate fore and heel parts, bonding mechanism joining. said parts constructedand arranged topermit the collapse against the other last part in two relations to hold the last rigidly extended and to permit collapse by pressure, respectively, a member actuatable to change one of said relations to the other at will, and means for moving said; second-named member ,to inoperative position as the 'lastis collapsed.

, 11. In "a last separatefore and heel parts,

bondingwmechanis'm joining said parts'con- V structed and arranged 'toHpe-rmit- 'thecollapse ioft-helast, a positive lockingmeans, and an impositive flocking 'means permitting col lapseof "the last by pressure only, and a member for moving 1 the positive "locking going automatically into operation as the last iseXtend'edafter collapsingq, v

' 12. In a'v last, separate fore-andhcel parts, bonding mechanism joining said parts constructedandarranged' to permit the collapse ing. an abutment and a locking member cooperat ngwith the abutment having positive and'impositi ve locking "positions, and

j a member accessible'to theoperator for moving the locking member from, positive to impositivelocking position to permit collapse of-the last fby pressure, said accessible memher being constructed and arranged'by con- --tact; with an element of the locking mecha- ,-aftercollapse. I

nism to be moved into'ino'perative position before the last reaches extended position a 13. Ina-'last, separate fore andheel parts, bonding mechanism "joiningsaid parts constructed and arrangedrto permit the collapse 1 of the last, a locking member having positive and impositive locking positions,

and aamember aceessibletothe operator for moving the locking member from positive to impositive locking-positionyto permit (:01- lapse of the last'by-pressure, and means for moving" said accessible member into inoperative position as the last is collapsed.

1 L. In;a;last, separate fore and heel parts, bonding .mechanism-joining said parts constructed and arranged to permit the collapseofthe last, a normally positivelock,

and means for rendering said lock impositive at will, saidlast parts-being automaticallvslightly relatively displaced from extended position 'when'fimpositively locked.

15.1%. locking member for a collapsible last'havi ng a portion constructed and arranged to engage an abutment in one last part and an operating member for latching said locking member against automatic return to a locking relationto said abutment when displaced therefrom, said locking memberhaving a portion constructed and arranged to engage the operating member 'for moving sald member to inoperativerelation-to the locking member as the last collapses.

I, 16.- In a last,-separate fore and heel parts, i

and a mechanism between said parts comprising bonding members constructed and? arranged to permi'tt hei collapse of the last, and comprisinga locking member arranged to lock the last positively against collapse, the locking member being further arranged to move into operative engagement with anw,

element of the said mechanism upon being displaced from positive locking position, whereby it is held against accidental return to said positive looking position, and'to be moved out of operative engagement with them said element by the operationof collapsing the last,'whereby the'last, when extended,

may be again posi'tively locked.

17. A las-t comprising a heel part and a forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts-against said-collaps ing movement, self-locking means for bold- ,mg the said locking member against automatic return to positive locking position". when disengaged"therefrom, prior to any substantial collapsing movement, and means for automatically restoring it to positive locking operativenessduring the relative movement of 'the last parts in changing the length of the last.

, 18. A last-comprising a. heel part and a forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positlvely ing the said locking member out of positive locking position when disengaged therefrom, prior to any substantial collapsing movement, and means for automatically restoring it to positive locking operativeness by virtue of relative movement of the last parts following the initial collapsing movement.

holding thesaid parts against said collapsing movement, self-locking me ans for hold- '19. A last comprisinga heel part and a forepart arranged "for relative collapsing holding the said parts against said collapsing movement, means acting automatically for holding ther'said locking member out of F positive locking position, rendered operative by its movement of the locking member out of positivelylocking vposition prior to any substantial collapsing movement, and means for automatically-restoring ittoposimovement, a locking member for positively tive locking operat-iveness by virtue of relative movement of thelast parts following the initial collapsing movement, such restoration to positive locking. operativeness being completed by the time the last fully extended after collapse. l

20. A last comprising a heel part and a forep'art arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts against said collapsing movement, and means for holding the said locking member out of. positive locking position when disengaged therefrom, the parts being constructed and arranged to terminate automatically the action'of said means during the collapsingoperation whereby the last may be positively locked when re-extended. I

21. A last comprising a heel part and a 0forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts against said collapsing movement, a holding member mounted.

in the last self-actingly to hold the locking member against automatic return to posh tive locking position when displaced therefrom preparatory to collapse andineans for automatically determining the operation of said holding member during the relative 0. movement of the last parts in collapse.

22. A last comprising a heel part and a;

forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a" locking member for positively holding the said parts. against said collapsiing movement, a holding member mounted in the last automatically to hold the lock ing member against automatic return to positive locking position when displaced therefrom preparatory to collapse, and 40 means for determining the operation of said holding member operated by the relative movement of the last parts, I

23. Ailast comprising aheel part and a forepart arranged for relative collapsing -,movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts against said collapsing movement, a holding member mounted in the last acting automatically to lock the locking member out of positive locking po- 0'sition when displaced therefrom preparatory to. collapse, and means operated by relative movement of the forepart and heel part for relatively moving the holding memher and the locking member to render the holding member inoperative. I

24. A last comprising a. heel part anda forepart arranged for relative collapsingmovement, a locking member fonpositively holding th e said-parts against said collapsing movement, and another member mounted in the last for co-operation with the locking member automatically'to hold it against automatic return to positive, locking vposition, rendered operative by its movement 05 of the. locking .member out of" positively relatively them.

locking position prior to 'any'substantial collapsing movement and said; two members being relatively moved by relative move- 5 ment ofthe forep'art and heel part to determine their co-operation and permit the return of the locking member to positive lock-.

ing position. l

25. A last comprising a heel part and a,

forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively olding the said parts against said :collaps mg movement, another member mounted in r the last for co-operation with the locking parts move relatively to permit the return of the locking member to positive locking position. N I

26. A last comprising a heel part and a forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts against said collapsing, movement, another member mounted in the last for co-operation with the locking member to hold it out of positive locking position, the locking member and the said other member being constructed and arranged to engage for said holding operation as the locking member is movedfrom positive locking position, and an abutment in r the last arranged to contact with one of the said members as the last parts move .27. A, last comprising a heel part and,

to. breakthe engagement between a forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding the saidparts against said collapse ing movement, another member pivoted in the last for .CO-OPBI'fitlOIl with the locking member to hold' it out ofpositivelocking position, the locking member and the said other member being constructed and arranged to engage for said holding operation as the locking member is moved from positive locking position, and an abutment, in the last arranged tocontact with one of the said members as the last parts move relatively to break the engagement between them.

28.- A collapsible last comprising a heel-- part and a forepart, a hinge "link joining sa'id'parts arranged to permit collapsing movement thereof, a, positive locking strut extending from one last part to theother to hold them against collapse, and a holdas it moves outl'o positive-locking position,

, ing member enga ing said locking member j- I collapse begins, the parts"being'constructed and arranged to release the holding memher during relative movement of the last parts' p 29. A- last. comprising two last parts movably connected together, a detent movably mounted on oneof said last parts, an

abutment on the other of said last parts locking e with which the detent'cooperates positively 'to lock'the last in an extended condition, means for locking the detent out of said position, and means for effecting the re ase of said detent on the collapsing of the' last to permit the cooperation of the detent with the abutment upon the extension of the last. I

30. A last comprising two last parts movably connected togethen'an" abutment on oneoflsaid last parts, a detent movable on the other of. said last parts and adapted to cooperate with the abutment positively to lock the last in' an extended position,means for holding the detent outof said locking position, and means operable upon the collapsing of the last for releasing said detent to permit the latter to cooperate with the abutment upon the extension of the last.

31'. A last comprising two movably connected last parts, alocking detent for positively locking the last in an extended condition, a: spring acting on saiddetent to hold same'insaid positively locking position, and means for causing said spring action to cease holding? said detent in said positively out'of said locking position when displaced I lockin position when the detent is moved out o positively locking position andfor automatically moving said causing means out of spring-inhibiting position when the lastparts are shifted relatively to each other for the collapsing of the last.

32. A last comprising a pair of movably connected last parts, a locking detent for holdingthe last in an extended, condition mounted on one of said lastparts, a spring for acting on said detent to hold samevin locking position, and means for causing said holding of the detent in said locking position'by the springto cease when the detent is moved out of positively locking position and for automatically determining the spring-inhibiting action of said causing means whenthe last is collapsed.

33; A last comprising two last parts movably" connected together, detent movablymounted on one of said last parts, an abutment on the other of saidlast parts with which the detent cooperates positively to lock thelast in an 'extend'ed condition, means acting; automatically for locking the detent therefromprior to any substantial collapsing movement of the last parts, and means for eflecting the release of sai'd detent to permit the cooperation of the detent with 1 the abut'me'ntupon the extension of the last. a

nected last parts, a locking detent for'positively locking the last in an extended condition, a spring acting on said detent to hold same in said positively locking position, and self-locking means for causing said spring action to cease holding said detent in saidpositively locking position when the lock is moved out of v positvely locking position, prior to the'production by the operator of any substantial collapsing movement of the last parts and for automatically movingsaid causing means out of spring-inhibiting position when the last parts are shifted relatively to each other.

36. A last comprising a pair of movably connected last parts, a locking detent for holding the last in an extended condition, mounted'on' one of saidlast parts, a spring for acting on said detent to hold same in positively locking position, and automatically acting means for causing said holding of the detent in said locking position" by the spring to cease, rendered operative by its movement of the detent out 'of positively locking posiing'the spring inhibiting action of said causing means during relative movement of the last parts.

37 A last comprising a heel part and a forepa'rt arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts against said. collapsing movement, self-locking means for holding the said locking'mem'ber against aut'omatic return topositive locking position when disengaged therefrom prior to any substantial collapsing movement, and'means comprising two abutments arranged to-move relatively by virtue of the relative movement of the last parts in changing the length of the last, for automatically restoring the I looking member to positive locking operativeness, v 38. A last comprising a heel part and a forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding'the said p'ar't's against said collaps ing movement, means comprising two interacting and selfdnterlocking members for holding the said locking memberaga-inst au'-; tomatic return to positive locking position when disengaged therefrom prior to any substantial collapsing movement, said interlocking members being arranged to release each other during relative movement of the last parts, and means comprising two abutments' arranged to move relatively during the change in length of the last for relatively moving the said interlocking members to prevent their automatic re-engagement.

39. A last comprising a heel part and a forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts against said collapsing movement, means comprising two interacting and self-interlocking members for holding the said locking member against automatic return to positive locking position when disengaged therefrom prior to any substantial collapsing movement, and means to release the interlock and prevent auto matic re-eng agement of the interlocking members comprising two abutments arranged to press on each other as the last collapses. e

40. A last comprising a heel part and a forepart arranged for relative collapsing movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts against said collapsing movement, means comprising two interacting and self-interlocking members for holding the said locking member against automatic return to positive locking position when disengaged therefrom prior to any substantial collapsing movement, and means to release the interlock of the interlocking members comprising two abutments arranged to press on each other as the last collapses.

, collapses.

42. A last comprising a heel part and a. forepart arranged for relative collapsing 'movement, a locking member for positively holding the said parts against said collapsing' movement, self-locking means for hold-' ing the-said locking member against auto-v matic return to positive locking position when disengaged therefrom prior to any substantial collapsing movement, and means comprising two abutments, one mounted in connection with the locking member and the other in'conn'ection with a part of the last wvhich moves relatively to the locking mem- 5 beras the length of the lastis changed, arranged to press upon each other during the change in length of the last to release the lock of the self-locking means.

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification.

GEORGE e. SCHELTER.

signed my 

